Pay Your Bills (Or Something)

Memeorandum has lit up over a Department of Education SWAT raid, reportedly to collect a student loan.  From Reason:

No Really: SWAT Team Raids House at 6 AM and Handcuffs Father of Three Young Kids to Execute a Dept. of Education Search Warrant for Estranged Wife's Defaulted Student Loans

From Doug Powers at Michelle Malkin's site:

Dept. of Education Has SWAT Team Raid Home Over Student Loan Default

And the British Daily Mail:

A little over the top?: SWAT team launch dawn raid on family home to collect unpaid student loans

Links to the original report are no longer working.  However, a subsequent report includes a tiny bit of clarification from the DOE (my emphasis):

A U.S. government official confirmed for News10 Wednesday morning federal agents with the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), not local S.W.A.T., served the search warrant. The official would not say specifically why the raid took place.   He did say the search was not related to student loans in default. 

He went on to say OIG is a semi-independent branch of the U.S. Department of Education that executes warrants for criminal offenses such as student aid fraud and embezzlement of federal aid. 

OK, I smell screw-up and cover-up.  However, the current story on offer is that they were after something more serious than a student loan default.  

As to why they came with fifteen officers, well, it would be helpful to know something about the wife's history; at this point I haven't even seen her name.

The local media seems to be pursuing this and maybe, maybe maybe we will learn that this was not as dumb a raid as it appears.

UPDATE:  Matt Welch of Hit&Run runs the DOE 'clarification', but he is also stumped as to what might justify a SWAT team.

FOR THE LEGAL EAGLES:  This memo discusses the legal authority under which the Inspector Generals can exercise police powers.  This background is interesting (naturaly, there is a war on terror conection):

However,  prior  to  enactment  of  section  812 of the Homeland  Security  Act  of 2002  (Pub. L. No.107-296),  the  Inspector General Act did not provide firearms,  arrest, or search warrant authorities for investigators of those offices.

Comments

[Ryan Frank]

Or more likely - it was just as dumb as it sounds. SWAT is used all the damn time for what should be fairly routine arrests.

[Rob Crawford]

Regardless of the reason, the Department of Education has no business dealing with violent criminals. If there is no threat of violence, there is no need for SWAT or a no-knock warrant.

Time to end the lunacy and take a shredder to the Federal bureaucracy.

[mojo]

Curious. Very curious.

Were they perhaps expecting to find her load cowering under the bed? Would the wily rogue financial instrument turn to violence if confronted?

[DebinNC]

Uh oh. The Daily Mail link has pics of the husband, wife, and kids...all African American. Are Jesse and Al hotfooting it to the scene, or will Obama's DOE get a pass?

[Extraneus]

The only reasons I know of for home invasions are 1) to prevent drug dealers from flushing the evidence, 2) to protect someone inside from violence, or 3) because the cops are afraid the target of the raid has a gun. Since #3 is perfectly legal, this excuse should simply be eliminated as a permissible pretext for a no-knock raid. Remember, #3 was the reason for the SWAT-style attack on Elian Gonzalez, as well as the Branch Davidian massacre, and it was the bottom line behind the Ruby Ridge shootings.

It's insane. Americans are within their rights to have guns. Therefore how can it be legal for the police to treat them differently because they might be armed? I mean short of people who are posing a threat.

Officers who mistakenly or illegally invade someone's home should do jail time, whether or not they also commit assault. And the more damage they do, the stiffer their sentence should be.

[Clarice]

Well, that team needs practice. If this is a policy shift, they will be breaking down thousands of doors all over the country.On second thought, lots of those defaulters work right here in DC for the federal govt/ Why not start with sweeps of the fed agencies? Faster and easier.

[Captain Hate]

Alert to Steadman: These are YOUR PEOPLE. Time to get the shiznit patrol on this.

[jean]

Why does the OIG or DOE have a SWAT Team?If they have only one where is their home base and are they flown around the USA to serve search warrants?The whole thing sounds wierd

[centralcal]

DebinDC: I watched the local news video (don't have link right now) and the hubby came across as quite "articulate" and very humorous. I loved his closing remarks - warns everybody to pay their bills and watch their credit scores, or this could be you! Hilarious and kinda sad in a way.

[Rob Crawford]

Officers who mistakenly or illegally invade someone's home should do jail time, whether or not they also commit assault.

As should the judge that approved the warrant, the bureaucrats that asked for the warrant, and everyone who thought it was a bright idea to give the Department of Education an armed unit.

According to a HotAir commenter (salt as necessary), Health and Human Services has a similar unit.

[DebinNC]

Interesting, cc. Makes the raid even weirder.

lots of those defaulters work right here in DC for the federal govt

It really bugs me that public sector workers, in addition to their secure jobs and elevated salary/benefits, also get to have their college loans forgiven if they pay a minimum amount for 12 yrs. Not so the private sector folks and the unemployed.

[daveinboca]

It's California, remember?

[xamn]

Its Washington.

[Clarice]

well, now we know some good public secter ops to slash..DoE and HHS swat teams, sayonara.

[daddy]

Crap.

The Weiner X-rated Pic was stolen from Breitbart and now posted on the net. Now unfortunately we are going to have to deal with.

The only decent thing in this whole episode was that we weren't going to have to see the damn thing.

Culprits are supposedly Andy and Opie radio hosts or something like that. Ughh.

[DebinNC]

Somewhat on topic, all y'all noticing the growing number of flash mobs of black youths attacking businesses and, in Chicago, targetting bus riders? Last week we had a melee in downtown Charlotte involving roving bands of black youth, showing "gang signs" and attacking each other as a major event was letting out and innocent pedestrians found themselves in a war zone. If Obama wants a project that could help him, he should acknowledge this growing problem, channel Bill Cosby, and challenge black parents to take responsibility for their children.

[Walter]

As it happens, the local rag has a story today that explains why the office that generated the warrant request exists. LUN.

Obviously they needed to keep the three year old in the cop car to prevent him from burying hard drives in his sandbox. I know I was always surprised at what my kids would put in there.

[henry]

Walter, I remember Webster U as a place where many of my high school teachers got their advanced degrees-- it was easier than St Louis U or UMSL back in the 70s.

[Extraneus]

From Verum Serum, via Ace, they all use the same shame face.

[jean]

If my husband ever comes home with that look on his face I'll know to prepare to be very angry

[Extraneus]

Heh. You might also want to check out the faces these same guys had a week or so before these pics were taken.

[Clarice]

I think whoever authorized this raid must be a Republican saboteur. Imagine how the Campus Yute for Obama will receive news of SWAT tea,s to collect college loans.

[Walter]

Sad to say, Henry, but standards have dropprd since the nuns relinquished control around that time. My kids went to their normal school for a while, but, frankly, the local public school is better in many ways. We get roughly the same number of student teachers, which keeps the kid-adult ratio ~10:1.

(OTOH, the public school has yet to hire an ELF fugitve to teach them, so there is that lack of diversity.)

[henry]

Walter, I went to public schools -- they were pretty good at the time. When my youngest brother went through in the 80s the busing thing was going on. I have no idea how the St Louis area public schools rate today.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

They did a riff on Weiner's face and expression on Red Eye last night, where Breitbart was one of the guests. He said Weiner subscribed to the Marlon Brando school of method acting, turning himself into a giant penis when in front of the camera in his expression, body language, etc.

[daddy]

Ext,

Can you please post the second picture of Weiner from your link, which reveals a little more of his character.

[Jane]

Well I guess the whole "Clarence Thomas must recuse himself" movement is over. That's another good thing to come out of Weinergate.

[Extraneus]

Yes, they say this indicates that perhaps he wasn't quite as contrite as the others.

[daddy]

Coulter just made an interesting point about the MSM on the Dennis Miller show.

Said something like "In the Monica Lewinski scandal everybody immediately knew it was Linda Tripp who broke the story and lets pile on her. In WeinerGate it was Andrew Breitbart and lets pile on him. Can anybody even name who broke South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford's affair?"

[daddy]

Thanks Ext.

Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words.

[centralcal]

Huma is pregnant!

[Rob Crawford]

Can anybody even name who broke South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford's affair?

Of course not. "Journolists" shield their sources, when their sources are in line with their own desires.

[MarkO]

Oh, good. Now a series of analyses on the behavior of husbands of pregnant women. He should move to Paraguay.

[daddy]

And speaking of revelatory stuff, this Chicago Sun Times story on the tapes being heard at Blago's Trial have the followng exchange between sitting Governor Blago and Rahm Emmanuel:

"In the Nov. 8, 2008 recorded call, Emanuel told Blagojevich he wanted then Cook County Commissioner Forrest Claypool tapped to fill Emanuel’s 5th Congressional District seat “in my interest of, uh, you know, having somebody there you know that doesn’t want to make it a lifetime commitment.”

Claypool only wants to serve “for like one term or two max,” Emanuel told Blagojevich. “And then he wants to go to the cabinet.”

"At the end of the excerpt of the call, Emanuel tells Blagojevich: “I will not forget this ... I appreciate it. That’s all I am going to say. I don’t want to go, you and I shouldn’t go farther.”

Trial tape: Rahm Emanuel asked Blagojevich to appoint Claypool.

Unexpectedly, " The defense called him (Rahm Emanuel) to testify but did not ask about the conversation."

Also unexpectedly, "Emanuel refused to answer questions Tuesday when asked about requesting that Blagojevich make a temporary appointment to his old congressional seat."

[Extraneus]

Well I guess the whole "Clarence Thomas must recuse himself" movement is over.

I wouldn't bet on that, but hopefully Republicans are smart enough to go on the offensive and bring up Weiner when and if his replacement surfaces.

[Captain Hate]

"In the Monica Lewinski scandal everybody immediately knew it was Linda Tripp who broke the story and lets pile on her.

And "pile on" includes releasing confidential info from her personnel file. I tried to point out to some of my dumbass lib friends the treatment of a "whistleblower" against one of theirs and they looked at me like I was speaking in Farsi.

[rpg]

Palin vs Bachman-I'll buy ringside seats. Cost no object

CATFIGHT !

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Has anyone heard why there has been a major rift between Palin and Bachmann. Obviously something p!ssed off Bachmann big time, but what?

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

3 months before the scandal broke:

The NYT reports:

Calling themselves the #bornfreecrew on Twitter, members of the group closely monitored those whom Mr. Weiner was following, taking it upon themselves to contact young women they believed to be “schoolgirls,” and urging them publicly to stay away from him, according to an analysis of posts on Twitter’s public stream.

[Extraneus]

In the interview with Wallace, when he brought up whether Bachmann's candidacy would dilute hers, Sarah tried to be positive on Bachmann ("The more the merrier!") but didn't resist the urge to compare their strengths, and point out that she, obviously as opposed to Bachmann, had extensive executive experience.

She didn't have to take that bait, but she did take it.

[Rob Crawford]

Huma is pregnant!

Chelsea's gonna have a little brother or sister! Good for her!

[Rob Crawford]

Obviously something p!ssed off Bachmann big time, but what?

Someone got between her and a camera/spotlight?

[matt]

this is the inevitable result of the militarization of America's police departments. Really? How many SWAT teams does a given area need?

Police departments across the country have been grifting their way into armored vehicles, automatic weapons and SEAL team tactics when there is, in most cases, no good reason.

Interesting thing though is that there a lot of Promise Keepers out there as well. It would be interesting to correlate the number of SWAT team members with Promise Keeper membership. To me, they are incompatible.

Fascism/Statism happens one step at a time. Totten made an excellent point in Fatima Gate about Christopher Hitchens reaction to a neo-Nazi group in Lebanon called the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (not to be confused with the National Socialist Workers Party. This group had taken over Hamra Street, part of the bohemian section of Beirut and festooned it with their swastika banners.

Hitchens saw this and decided to deface one of the banners, and for this was beaten up by SSNP thugs. Afterwards, considering the fact that he could have just as easily been "disappeared" he said "I appreciate that. But I would have done it anyway. One must take a stand. One simply must."

I hope more people take a stand, and while Hitchens frustrates the hell out of me much of the time, I consider him one of the greatest of our generation.

[Captain Hate]

Well stated matt; I think Hitch might be the last public lib with unwavering integrity.

[Rob Crawford]

It would be interesting to correlate the number of SWAT team members with Promise Keeper membership. To me, they are incompatible.

Not at all. There are undoubtedly situations that require something like a SWAT team -- hostage situations, for one.

The problem isn't the existence of such teams. It's the existence of such teams where they make no sense -- why should the Department of Education have police powers AT ALL? -- and their over-use.

(And meanwhile, the Mexican border is a virtual highway for slavers, jihadis, and other scum.)

[narciso]

As with everything, Sara, one might say it begins when Bachmann, didn't cash the check from SarahPAc, then she began freelancing with
the Tea Party, which culminated with that alternate SOTU response, then came rumors of
her staffers badmouthing Sarah in SC, and Iowa, one of which is known birther Sorenson,

Then she signs up Rollins who has been acidly
skeptical of both, and well 'Winning the Future comes to mind.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

OT:

About 3 weeks ago, the internal fan on my laptop stopped working. I've replaced fans before, but never on a laptop, so I went to the HP source and found step-by-step instructions on removal and reinstallation of a computer fan on my model laptop. The directions are perfect, but detail a very complicated and difficult process. Later that day, at Walmart, I saw a laptop lap desk with 2 large built-in fans designed to keep your laptop cool. I bought one and for the last 3 weeks, it has been working like a charm and keeping my laptop even cooler than it was with just the internal fan that had stopped working.

Well, today, out of the blue, my computer fan kicked in again and is humming away doing its job. D-I-L says it just went on a 3 week vacation and is now all tan and rested and ready to work. :)

I just say ghosts!

[DrJ]

The directions are perfect, but detail a very complicated and difficult process.

Laptops are a PITA to work on, but if you are careful and somewhat mechanically-minded, it certainly can be done. I've repaired quite a number of them. But then I design equipment for a living (or at least I want to!).

today, out of the blue, my computer fan kicked in again

Probably a bad connection. If said computer gets jostled every now and again, said connection can move around enough to get reestablished.

In any event, congrats on not having to disembowel a laptop!

[Tony Racemus]

Even DEA is now trained to act as a military unit when taking down a nickle bag junkie dealer.

[Jane]

Ya know I never think of Bachmann as the tea party candidate. I'm not saying that she doesn't have our values, but I don't think of her that way.

I do think of Sarah as being all tea party, all the time.

[Soylent Red]

Chelsea's gonna have a little brother or sister! Good for her!

Huma obviously went for the one with the bigger schwanztucher.

this is the inevitable result of the militarization of America's police departments

This is the inevitable result of a society who has abdicated their right to, and responsibility for, self-protection. When you depend on gubmint to protect you, and demand that it protect you completely and at all times, you are inclined toward more tolerance of beat cop Officer Friendly trading in his .38 and blues for black BDUs and AR-15s. Further, when you operate under the impression that you have no responsibility for your own safety, you see the militarization of the police as a necessary response to increasingly brutal criminality. In other words, you can tolerate and justify a lot if you believe it is necessary to keep your little pink ass out of danger.

It's not that cops are thugs, but we've given them too much rope in some ways (and in other ways not enough). I would be in favor of expanding the numbers and visibility of police, and reducing their firepower.

Then again, there are full on urban battle zones that probably should have the National Guard in them full time, so I guess I can't rant too much.

[Sandy Daze]

8 June 2011
USA

I guess now we know what the DoE RFP for 27 Remington Model 870 Police shotguns was all about (LUN). Excerpt:

Synopsis: Added: Mar 08, 2010 10:39 am

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) intends to purchase twenty-seven (27) REMINGTON BRAND MODEL 870 POLICE 12/14P MOD GRWC XS4 KXCS SF. RAMAC #24587 GAUGE: 12 BARREL: 14" - PARKERIZED CHOKE: MODIFIED SIGHTS: GHOST RING REAR WILSON COMBAT; FRONT - XS CONTOUR BEAD SIGHT STOCK: KNOXX REDUCE RECOIL ADJUSTABLE STOCK FORE-END: SPEEDFEED SPORT-SOLID - 14" LOP are designated as the only shotguns authorized for ED based on compatibility with ED existing shotgun inventory, certified armor and combat training and protocol, maintenance, and parts.
The required date of delivery is March 22, 2010.
Interested sources must submit detailed technical capabilities and any other information that demonstrates their ability to meet the requirements above, no later than March 12, 2010 at 12 PM, E.S.T. Any quotes must be submitted electronically to the attention of Holly.Le@ed.gov, Contract Specialist (Contract Operations Group), with a concurrent copy to Sherese.Lewis@ed.gov, Contracting Officer (Contract Operations Group).

Take good care,
Sandy

[Porchlight]

Good catch, Sandy Daze.

[Neo]

It's not about the sex or the lying ... it's about the stupidity.

After Rep. Christopher Lee (R-NY-26) quit for a bare-chested mistake, you'd think that any politician with a shred of sense would avoid a similar fate, but Rep. A. Weiner "embraced the horror"

[Agent J. (formally known as "J"..]

Jane @ 8:34pm..You once again hit the nail on the head. While there is/was much to like about Backmann, she is no Sarah Palin..

I do not in vision Sarah Running in 12, I think she may run for the Senate seat in AZ, but then again I have been wrong more then right on things..I do not think she will bother saying anything to or about Backmann..when she is going down the tube anyway, why comment..

Just my Midwestern point of view.

[Janet]

I wondered if maybe Palin IS gonna run...& McCain will be the VP. Sorta the older guy with "gravitas".

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Janet: What have you been smoking? Palin/McCain ::eyes rolling::

[cheap custom jerseys]

The Daily Mail link has pics of the husband, wife, and kids...all African American. Are Jesse and Al hotfooting it to the scene, or will Obama's DOE get a pass?

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Now it's Yemen?

Report: U.S. Steps Up Covert Strikes in Yemen

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration has intensified the covert U.S. war in Yemen, hitting militant suspects with armed drones and fighter jets...

[pagar]

Good Morning Sandy Daze, Always good to hear from you.

[Janet]

4 curious errors in Obama's 'Dreams'.

latest from Cashill.

[Captain Hate]

Where's TC to celebrate the Broons tying the Stanley Cup series up with 2 convincing wins over the Caknuckleheads? I was prepared to just watch with no cheering interest and it took less than the first period of game 2 to realize that Vancouver is made up of a bunch of cheap-shot bastards (one getting called "a punk" on a national telecast, on NBC not that tinkertoy obscure network that did the last 2 games; WTF NHL?) who depend on the shitheads at the top of the league to overlook their douchebaggery in order to have a Canadian team at the top of the shitheap. To hell with that noise; the idiots finally woke the slumbering bear up with a cheapshot in game 3 which knocked out a Bruin front-liner with a concussion and it's been game on ever since with two convincing routs. Reap the whirlwind, bitchezz!

[Extraneus]

Weiner offered $50K to be spokesman for dating website

[Extraneus]

Hey, daddy, here's your favorite pic again.

Another Rep. Weiner sexting partner emerges, reluctantly

[Jane (sit on the couch or save your country)]

I just don't get what anyone found attractive about him.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Pippa Middleton Loses 'Rear of the Year' Contest

Unfortunaely, DOT's favorite rear didn't win either.

[Captain Hate]

O/T This morning in the WSJ there's an oped coauthored by Laurence Tribe on a lawsuit against the VA on behalf of vets. Having done contract work for the DOD, I have my own set of issues with the VA; although it probably escapes Tribe that this is what he could expect national health care to look like. But that's not the point of this; the writeup mentions that Tribe "recently returned from serving in the Obama administration". Anybody have an idea what it was he did?

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Jane: Perceived power, pseudo-celebrity, they are powerful aphrodisiacs to some women, especially those willing to engage in graphic sex talk/picture exchanges with men online.

What escapes me is how any woman could find the things Weiner was texting as the least bit a turn on. It seems so juvenile locker room to me.

[Janet]

Recap list of Weiner's women...the 5 that we know & their roles in the unfolding scandal. I believe he admitted to 6.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

CH: Via Wiki

Alongside Harvard's Cass Sunstein, Tribe served as judicial adviser to Obama's campaign.[7] In February 2010, he was named "Senior Counselor for Access to Justice" in the Department of Justice; he will lead an effort to increase legal access for the poor.

[narciso]

Here you go, Captain, from last year, I figure it was as successful a venture as Mitchell's Middle East Initiative, and the 'Cash for Clunker'

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124094017

[Captain Hate]

According to John Steele Gordon, writing about pols who can't keep their johnsons in their pants, Alexander Hamilton was such a hound that Martha Washington named one of the Mount Vernon tomcats "Hamilton". Actually in the article Gordon compares him to Clinton, but I refuse to besmirch the good name of a founding father by tying him to lowlife white trash whose unincarcerated existence fouls the country.

[Captain Hate]

Thanks Sara and narc; another Steadman success story having nothing to do with enforcing the laws.

[centralcal]

Kudos to Breitbart again - while appearing on Greta's show last night he went there, saying the Weiner's pregnancy news might just be "a ploy." News was already circulating late yesterday that Huma met with her hubby Monday night and was helping strategize his hanging on.

I think "ploy" is looking more and more likely, although the MFM seems to completely accept the story at face value.

[Extraneus]

Under Siege: Steven Seagal Attacks Home in Arizona with Armored Cars and SWAT Members to Arrest Man Accused of Cockfighting

[narciso]

He had one affair, that we know, and he resigned when it became known, that seem to indicate shame, not present in a whole host
of recent candidates. I do recall Saffire's treatment of it, and the retaliatory
strike from Callender, in Scandalmonger,

[Captain Hate]

Yes narc, the contemporary lack of shame is what bothers me the most about this and other affairs of rutting vermin.

[Jane (sit on the couch or save your country)]

Jane: Perceived power, pseudo-celebrity, they are powerful aphrodisiacs to some women,

Most women I'd say, but that doesn't explain why anyone would think he is attractive. He wasn't all that powerful and he is ugly as sin. Do these women try and follow every liberal congressman and this is the only one who bit back.

[narciso]

That's dissapointing that Steele Gordon would be misrepresenting Hamilton so, not too mention that he would run rings around this
crew of 'Top Men' in either party.

[Jane (sit on the couch or save your country)]

another Steadman success story

What's the Steadman reference?

Huma met with her hubby Monday night and was helping strategize his hanging on.

Pure Hillary.

I'm back on the radio today. Is Weinergate the only story?

[Porchlight]

Pure Hillary.

My reaction also. It's almost reassuring to know that the Clintons are being modeled so faithfully. For a minute I thought Huma might be human.

[narciso]

I know this is considered unpresidential, in some of Duke and Duke's foyers in the Harvard Club.

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150203463153435

[Extraneus]

Teen Survives Being Shot, Dangled From Bridge in Mexico

All three of the men had been shot and tortured, and their hands were bound with duct tape, according to a Nuevo Leon state police investigator who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the case.

The dead man, estimated to be in his early 20s, dangled lifelessly in a blue shirt and plaid shorts. Bound in his hands was bound a cellphone, a possible sign that he was considered an informant.

Police said none of the victims had been identified.

Two other men, one with a foot cut off, were hanged by their necks from a pedestrian bridge Sunday in Monterrey. Both died.

[snip]

More than 35,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence across Mexico since President Felipe Calderon launched an offensive against drug cartels when he took office in December 2006.

[Captain Hate]

What's the Steadman reference?

Tribe doing work for DOJ (Steadman == Holder)

[Extraneus]

Arsenal Found in Mexico Contains Guns From U.S. Probe

An arsenal found in Mexico included at least five assault rifles that U.S authorities trace to a federal operation gone badly awry, according to government documents.

[narciso]

It's a brutal abbatoir, that Mexico is becoming, one would compare it to Colombia
in the 80s, but Russia in the mid 90s, seems
closer, when the various factions of the Bratva started to feud.

[pagar]

Is Weinergate the only story?

No.
700 Million barrels of oil found in Gulf of Mexico

http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/exxonmobil/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&ndmConfigId=1001106&newsId=20110608005901&newsLang=en

The question is: will Obama permit any US firm to access it?

[narciso]

Why do I think, he not only read, 'Opens Vein', but circled it in pen;

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/nilegardiner/100091346/another-slap-in-the-face-for-britain-the-obama-administration-sides-with-argentina-and-venezuela-in-oas-declaration-on-the-falklands/

[Jane (sit on the couch or save your country)]

Pagar,

Thanks - that is indeed news.

(Steadman == Holder)

I still don't get it, but now I know what it means. Thanks (Is it a reference to Oprah's boyfriend in some way? I can't believe I know the name of Oprah's boyfriend.)

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

They look like brothers or even twins, Jane.

[Old Lurker]

Is Weinergate the only story?

No.

If Obama has run up debts of $14T and is adding more unabated and if the CBO projects future unfunded promises of $61T, and if half the population pays little or no tax and if most of the rest is paid by 20%...how have they NOT pulled off the greatest transfer of wealth in all of human history?

How's that for an elevator speech?

[narciso]

Since no one watches Larry the Loon, in relative terms, except those who bring us this, and hapless Gitmo detainees:

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/lawrence-odonnell-and-dem-congressman-actually-do-a-segment-attacking-palins-bus-tour-based-on-10-year-old-piper-plain-saying-she-was-on-vacation/

[Threadkiller]

I don’t know if this is radio worthy or not, but I sure would like input on it.

House Vote 412 - Kucinich Resolution on Libya

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution, to remove the United States Armed Forces from Libya.

Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),

SECTION 1. REMOVAL OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES FROM LIBYA.

Pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution (50 U.S.C. 1544(c)), Congress directs the President to remove the United States Armed Forces from Libya by not later than the date that is 15 days after the date of the adoption of this concurrent resolution.

It failed with 144 Republicans voting against it.
87 republicans and 61 Democrats voted for it

I find this to be a strange mix of a vote.

Alan West votes for it and so does Barney Frank.

Eric Cantor votes against it along side Bob Filner.

McClintock is very compelling that this war is a violation of the President’s power.

What fallout were the Nay Republicans worried about? What gains were the Yea Dems anticipating?

What do you think is going on here?

I have tried to figure this out for 3 days now and the answer must be far simpler than I think it is.

[Extraneus]

Is Weinergate the only story?

Even if it isn't, the beatings should continue. After all, he's trying to ride it out. Every new sordid detail should be thoroughly analyzed.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Jane: There's the story above re: covert U.S. war in Yemen.

[Jane (sit on the couch or save your country)]

All good stories, altho OL yours is about as depressing as it gets.

Thanks

[Janet]

Jane, WeinerGate is a great story to point out the MFM rot. Your point about vilifying the whistle blowers (Tripp & Breitbart) is great. Red Eye also brought up that if Weiner had been a Rep. & Breitbart a lib reporter this event would be made into a movie with Sean Penn wanting to play Breitbart. It's true.
Also that Charlie Rose clip with Halperin & Simon was so "sad" in it's tenor. 'How could this have happened?' Is the MFM ever "sad" for Republicans?

[Threadkiller]

--"the beatings should continue"--

I hope that isn't one of the pictures.

[narciso]

This is more up your recent focus, Jane:

http://pajamasmedia.com/tatler/2011/06/08/holder-doj-fights-arizonas-efforts-to-prevent-illegal-alien-voting/

[pagar]

Thanks Jane,
Here is another I hope you can use.
The USDA (fresh off their attacks on the US rabbit population) is spending:

"Obama Administration Spends $17.4 Million to Explore Market for Carbon Credits"

Wealth redistribution from the American taxpayer to Al Gore to replace his failed CCX taxpayer nightmare.

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/ag-dept-distributes-174-million-grants-e